Author Guidelines

The Ceylon Journal of Science publishes full-length original Research papers, Invited Lead articles Review papers, Short communications, Research notes, Case reports, Reviews of scientific books, Opinions, Commentaries and Notes. Only the manuscripts written in English are accepted.

Article Processing Charges

Ceylon Journal of Science does not levy article submission or article processing charges (APC) from authors.

Online First

The journal introduces Online First publishing (i.e. online publication of finalized articles of an upcoming issue) from December, 2023. This feature will allow scientific community to access the latest articles in the field, while authors will also benefit by significantly reduced lead times between submission and publication of their articles. Online First articles will carry a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), and the issue will be kept open until the rest of the articles are being completed. Until the issue is closed, the Online First articles should be cited as follows;

Jayawardhana, J.M., Perera, K.G. & Thomas, P.B. …Article Title….Ceylon Journal of Science. doi:……

Copyright Notice

The Autors need to transfer all copyright ownership, including the copyright of the article and illustrations exclusively to the Ceylon Journal of Science. In the event that their submission is not published in the Ceylon Journal of Science, copyright ownership shall revert to the Author/s.

Peer Review Process

The submission of a manuscript will be taken to imply that the work is original, and it or a similar paper (other than an abstract) has not been concurrently submitted elsewhere for publication. The content of the manuscript is a sole responsibility of the authors.

All manuscripts are peer reviewed. This journal uses double-blind review, which means that both the reviewer and author identities are concealed from the reviewers, and vice versa, throughout the review process. Authors must provide names of three potential referees with complete postal and email addresses. However, the editors are not obliged to use the services of referees provided by authors. All manuscripts will be reviewed by two experts in the area of specialization concerned. If there are discrepancies between the comments of the two reviewers, the manuscript will be sent to a third reviewer before taking the final decision. The comments of the reviewers will be sent to the authors and the authors are expected to submit the revised version along with a point by point response to reviewer comments within three weeks of receiving the comments.

Types of Manuscripts

All manuscripts must be typed using Times New Roman, font size 12 in double space throughout Title page, Abstract, Text, References and Tables. Indicate the authority for all Latin names only at the first mention. All abbreviations should be spelt out at the first mention only.

Full length original research papers should include the following: Title page, Highlights, Graphical Abstract, Abstract, Keywords, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion (Results and Discussion sections can be presented separately or together), Conclusion, Acknowledgement, Statement of Conflict of Interest, References and Appendices. The maximum number of words for a research article is limited to 10,000, including figures, tables and references. Each Table and Figure will be counted as 400 words.

Review papers should include an Abstract, an Introduction that outlines the main points, text under brief sub headings and References. Authors/s of a review paper should have carried out extensive research or study in the area concerned. Review papers should not be less than 8,000 words while not exceeding 20,000 words including figures tables and references. Each Table and Figure will be counted as 400 words. Review articles with a word count below 8,000 will be considered as Mini-Reviews. Longer manuscripts, such as Checklists, will be considered by the Editorial Board only under exceptional circumstances, based on the scientific merits.

Short communications should contain novel findings written in the form of a concise, independent report representing a significant contribution to the field of study. It should be written under the subheadings as in a research paper but should include only few key references. It may include 1-2 tables or figures and the word count should be confined to a maximum of 3,500.

Research notes briefly explain new research findings. The word count should not exceed 2,000 words.

Reviews of scientific books should be comprehensive and should not exceed 2,000 words.

Opinion should be written on a topical theme in the form of a concise, independent report. It should not exceed 1,500 words.

Commentaries and notes should address personalities and institutions of importance, appreciations and obituaries. A commentary/note should not exceed 2,000 words. Photographs can be included.

Each article should carry an authors' statement of any conflicts of interest and acknowledgement of sources of funding for the research. The ORCID (Open Researcher and Contributor ID) number of the Corresponding author of the manuscript should be provided at the time of article submission.

Preparation of a Regular Research Paper

When submitting a regular research paper, authors should make sure to arrange the documents in the following order.

  1. Title page

Title page should be a separate document giving the Article type, Title, name(s) of authors(s) and complete postal address of the institution(s) where the work was carried out. Surname(s) of the author(s) with initials should be provided. Title should be concise, informative and typed in ‘Sentence case’ bold letters. Author affiliations should be given in separate lines. The email address, telephone number and the ORCID number of the corresponding author should also be provided.

  1. Highlights

Highlights consist of short sentences of 3 to 5 bullet points to summarize the core findings of the article. Each bullet point must contain a maximum of 85 characters.

  1. Graphical abstract

A Graphical Abstract is a pictorial and visual summary of the main findings of the article. This should be a figure that is especially designed to convey the main findings of the article and the reader should capture the content of the article at a single glance.
The Graphical Abstract will be displayed only in the online version of the article.

  1. Main manuscript

The lines and pages of the main manuscript should be numbered. The main manuscript should contain the following.

  • Title: Title should be concise, informative and typed in ‘Sentence case’ with bold letters. Authors’ names and affiliations should not be given in the main document.

  • Abstract and Keywords: Abstract for regular research papers and review papers must not be more than 300 words and for short communications not more than 150 words. It should be presented as a single paragraph and state clearly the main findings of the research and their relevance. The abstract should be followed by a list of 5 keywords. Keywords should be separated by a semicolon (;).

  • Introduction: The text should begin on a new page and arranged according to the guidelines given above. Literature in the text should be cited with only the surname(s) of the author(s) followed by year. If there are several publications by the same author(s) in the same year use a, b, c, etc. after the year. For two authors, use both names, and for three or more authors et al. should be used. The current status of the research area and the importance and relevance of the work presented and the novelty of the research findings should be highlighted.
  • Experimental/ Materials and Methods: Provide sufficient detail to allow the work to be reproduced. Methods already published should be properly cited and any relevant modifications should be clearly described.
  • Care and Use of Human and Animal Subjects: Any research that involves animals should follow established standards for the humane care and use of animals, and must specify which standards were used. When studies involve human or animal subjects, the researchers have to obtain prior ethical clearance form respective ethical clearance committees. Also, the manuscript must include (under Materials and Methods section) the names of Institutions and the Permit number of permits/ethical clearance certificates obtained from the respective Institutions/ethical clearance committees.
  • Results: Results should be clear and concise. Figures, Graphs, Photographs and Tables can be used as appropriate. These should be placed by the authors in the appropriate place in the manuscript.
  • Discussion: Here, the results should be interpreted to explore the significance of the findings, but not to repeat them. A combined Results and Discussion section is often appropriate to avoid any repetitions. Avoid extensive citations and lengthy discussions of published literature.

Experimental Methods, Results and Discussion sections can have sub-headings.

  • Conclusions: The Conclusions should stand alone as a separate section.
  • References: This journal uses APA Referencing Style.

APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14). For sources such as websites and e-books that have no page numbers, use the paragraph number. More information on citing sources without pagination is given on the APA Style web page.

  • Example: a paragraph with in-text citation

‘A few researchers in the linguistics field have developed training programs designed to improve native speakers' ability to understand accented speech (Alder, 2004; Derwing et al., 2002; Thomas & Darwin, 2007). Their training techniques are based on the research described above indicating that comprehension improves with exposure to non-native speech. Derwing et al. (2002) conducted their training with students preparing to be social workers, but note that other professionals who work with non-native speakers could benefit from a similar program’.

List all references cited in the text in alphabetical order, giving the name (title) of the journal in full. List the names of all authors in the reference. The references are structured in the order: author’s surname, initials, year of publication (in parentheses), title of paper, full name of journal (in italics), volume number (bold), issue number (within brackets) and first and last page numbers.

References should be arranged in the alphabetical order according to author(s) name(s) and if there are more than one publication by the same author(s) in the same year, a, b, c, etc. should appear after the year.

DOIs of each reference must be provided where available. Book titles should be in Italics, and followed by publisher, place of publication and page numbers.



Examples: Referencing

Research articles:
  • Herrington, A. J. (1985). Classrooms as forums for reasoning and writing. College Composition and Communication, 36(4), 404-413.
  • Blattner, J., & Bacigalupo, A. (2007). Using emotional intelligence to develop executive leadership and team and organizational development. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 59(3), 209-219. doi:10.1037/1065-9293.59.3.209
Books:
  • Matthews, J. (1999). The art of childhood and adolescence: The construction of meaning. Falmer Press.
  • Rosenthal, R., Rosnow, R. L., & Rubin, D. B. (2000). Contrasts and effect sizes in behavioral research: A correlational approach. Cambridge University Press.
  • Snyder, C. R. (Ed.). (1999). Coping: The psychology of what works. Oxford University Press.
Internet article based on a print source (exact duplicate) with DOI assigned:
  • Stultz, J. (2006). Integrating exposure therapy and analytic therapy in trauma treatment. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 76(4), 482-488. doi:10.1037/0002-9432.76.4.482
  • Murray, G. (2005). A duty of care to children and young people in Western Australia: Report on the quality assurance and review of unsubstantiated allegations of abuse in care: 1 April 2004 to 12 September 2005. Western Australia, Department of Child Protection. http://www.community.wa.gov.au/NR/rdonlyres/851183A4-A822-4592-AB66-C410E453AEEC/0/DCDRPTGwennMurrayreportwithcover2006.pdf
Article in an Internet with no DOI assigned:
  • Sillick, T. J., & Schutte, N. S. (2006). Emotional intelligence and self-esteem mediate between perceived early parental love and adult happiness. E-Journal of Applied Psychology, 2(2), 38-48. Retrieved from http://ojs.lib.swin.edu.au/index.php/ejap/article/view/71/100
Daily newspaper article, electronic version available by search:
  • Botha, T. (1999, February 21). The Statue of Liberty, Central Park and me. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com
Webpage:
  • Raymon H. Mulford Library, The University of Toledo Health Science Campus. (2008). Instructions to authors in the health sciences. Retrieved June 17, 2008, from http://mulford.mco.edu/instr/
Annual report:
  • Pearson PLC. (2005). Annual review and summary financial statements 2004. Retrieved from http://www.pearson.com/investor/ar2004/pdfs/summary_report_2004.pdf
Proceedings of Symposia:
  • Wild, B. (1993). Cycloheximide and phosphonate effects on the susceptibility of citrus fruit to green mold decay. Proceedings of International Symposium on the Physiological Basis of Postharvest Technologies, Davis, California, Pp.353-356.
  • Brown, S., & Caste, V. (2004, May). Integrated obstacle detection framework [Paper presentation].IEEE Intelligent Vehicles Symposium, Detroit, MI.
Internet resources:
  • Author (2002). Title of website, database or other resources, Publisher name and location (if indicated), number of pages (if known). Available from: http://xxx.xxx.xxx/ (Date of access).

Figures, Graphs and Photographs

Ceylon Journal of Science encourages authors to submit two sets of figures, graphs and photographs. First set can have coloured and, black and white items as decided by the authors and will be used in the online version only. These items must be properly numbered and placed in their appropriate places in the main manuscript. A colourful Graphical Abstract must accompany the article on a separate page.(Please refer here for a few examples : example 01 , example 02 , example 03 , example 04 , example 05 , example 06 )

The second set of figures, graphs and photographs should be sent as a separate file, properly numbered and can have the minimum number of coloured items. The rest has to be black and white. Figures should be designed using black and white patterns and fill effects as much as possible. Colour figures and colour photographs should be used only if colours are essential to convey the meaning. For histograms, only black and white and grey columns must be used. These will be used for the printed version of the journal.

Authors should keep in mind the dimensions of a printed page (A4) when preparing Figures Graphs and Tables in their manuscript. All illustrations (maps, graphs, drawings and photographs) are considered as figures, and should be numbered in consecutive order in Arabic numerals as Figure 1, Figure 2 etc. Legends (Caption) for figures should appear below the figure and, should be concise, self-explanatory and have sufficient information to make it intelligible without reference to the text. Graphs drawn in Excel should be sent separately as an Excel file.

At the time of the final submission,

  • Graphs: Graphs must be of high standard and good quality. High resolution Graphs (300dpi) should be sent separately. Graphical lines (plots) may be indicated by solid, pecked or dotted lines while solid or open circles, squares, triangles and inverted triangles may be used to denote points. The minimum resolution of line drawings should be 600 dots per inch (dpi). Where applicable, a metric scale should be indicated in each graph.
  • Photographs: All photographs should be cropped to show only the essential features and should be forwarded only in the form of jpg or tiff images. High resolution Photographs (600dpi) should be sent separately.
  • Tables: All the Tables should be numbered in Arabic numerals as Table 1, Table 2 etc.. The number of tables should be limited as much as possible and tables should not repeat data available elsewhere in the manuscript. The caption should appear above the table.

Scientific names

All scientific names should be given in italics. In all the taxonomy related papers, the scientific name should appear in full with the author citation at the first mention.

Equations and Units

Authors are strongly encouraged to use equation editor to write ionic species and mathematical equations. Chemical names, equations, mathematical usage, units of measurements, chemical and physical quantity & units must conform to SI and Chemical Abstracts or IUPAC. All measurements should be reported only in International System of Units (SI).

Submission of Manuscripts

All the authors who submit manuscripts to Ceylon Journal of Science are strongly requested to follow the Instructions to Authors. Manuscripts that are not prepared according to the instructions given by the journal will be rejected without further processing.

  • Author’s requirement to sign in ORCID: Corresponding author should submit his/her ORCID number to the journal at the time of submission of the manuscript. More information on ORCID is available at https://orcid.org

The corresponding author should submit a soft copy of the manuscript (in word format) by an email to Managing Editor along with the signed Copyright Transfer Agreement signed by all authors. Where relevant, the author(s) should provide evidence for an ethical clearance certificate obtained for using humans or animals in the experiment(s) that are included in the manuscript.

Manuscripts can be submitted online to Sri Lankan Journals Online (SLJOL) (Authors who do not have an account for online submissions can register here)
Manuscripts and related documents can also be submitted by sending as an e-mail attachment to the Managing Editor, E-mail: managingeditor.cjs@sci.pdn.ac.lk

  • For inquiries regarding the manuscript submission:

Please contact Managing Editor, Ceylon Journal of Science, Faculty of Science, University of Peradeniya. e-mail: managingeditor.cjs@sci.pdn.ac.lk